McLaren officially confirm Montoya for 05

Like we didn't know! :)


TEAM McLAREN MERCEDES CONFIRMS JUAN PABLO MONTOYA FOR 2005

Woking, Great Britain / Stuttgart, Germany, 17th November 2003: Team McLaren Mercedes is pleased to announce that Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya (28) will join the team for the 2005 Formula One season. Juan Pablo Montoya won the International Formula 3000 Championship in 1998 and became the youngest ever CART Champion in 1999 and in the following year he took victory in the prestigious Indianapolis 500 race in his first attempt. He graduated to Formula One in 2001, has claimed three Formula One victories, 11 pole positions and finished third in this years’ World Championship.

The Team McLaren Mercedes team will confirm the full 2005 driver line-up at a later date but the team’s 2004 Championship challenge will be lead by David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen.

“We want to win races and World Championships, and in order to do so we have to plan for the future whilst applying every effort in the short term,” commented Ron Dennis, CEO and Chairman, TAG McLaren Group. “The opportunity to sign a talent like Juan Pablo was too good to miss, and there is already a considerable amount of anticipation within our team about 2005. Juan Pablo has achieved a considerable amount of success in his career and we are certain that he will add to this with Team McLaren Mercedes. We are certainly looking forward to seeing what he can do in one of our cars and I believe that it’s a prospect that can’t fail to excite Formula One fans around the world. However until that happens we will be focusing all efforts on our 2004 Championship challenge.”

“Juan Pablo has become well established in International motor racing within a short time and will fit well into our team,” said Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. “We have been convinced of Juan Pablo’s great talent since he drove a Mercedes-Benz C-Class touring car in the ITC round at Silverstone in 1996.”

“I am thrilled to be joining Team McLaren Mercedes,” said Juan Pablo Montoya. “The team is consistently a strong World Championship contender and has a fantastic heritage. It’s a great opportunity for me and I’m really looking forward to the first time I will be able to drive one of their cars. To join them is an amazing challenge and experience which I plan to fully enjoy. However, my short term aim is to concentrate 100 percent on winning the 2004 World Championship.”

While the news does not come as a major surprise, I certainly think he will be of more value to Mclaren than a certain DC.

I'll go one further and say that he would be more of a value than that certain DC in 2004. Cartainly doesn't look like JPM is in for a pleasant year with Williams in 04.

Why announce it a year early? Seems like Frank will put more behind RS for the championship now.

I think the speed gap between MR and JPM will be nearly as much as it was between MR and DC, with the the most speed still in MR's favor.

I think the speed gap between MR and JPM will be nearly as much as it was between MR and DC, with the the most speed still in MR's favor.

MR? :confused:

MR? :confused:

Yikes! KR!!!

Yikes! KR!!!
1/2 of me wants to believe you mixed these up by accident ;) The other half is having a blast laughing :D

1/2 of me wants to believe you mixed these up by accident ;) The other half is having a blast laughing :D

LOL! Too many Mika's, too little mind! :screwy:

Should be an interesting combination: the coolest and the hottest in one team. I hope they will get along very well. So one part of me is very excited, but the other is a bit concerned (think about '88 when they also had the coolest and hottest in the team...

Why announce it a year early?

Maybe to try to get him early? Im sure Williams & BMW won't want him testing new products etc..

i totally support jp in anything he does. i look 4ward 2 seeing him @ mclaren. hopefully we will be seeing him along side kimi. :)